


If I Fall In The Dark (Did I Even Make A Sound)

by stopdrinkingitdown



Series: Whumptober 2020 [1]
Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, This is really dark, Whumptober 2020, nothing graphic but tyelpe has a really bad time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:14:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26753395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stopdrinkingitdown/pseuds/stopdrinkingitdown
Summary: Celebrimbor in captivity.Whumptober Day One: Hanging
Relationships: Annatar & Celebrimbor | Telperinquar, Celebrimbor | Telperinquar & Sauron | Mairon
Series: Whumptober 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948534
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	If I Fall In The Dark (Did I Even Make A Sound)

He was afraid.

That was the very first thing that registered. Not the agonizing pain of wrists and shoulders that had been suspended for days, perhaps weeks. Not his broken and battered ribs who turned every breath into an excruciating ordeal. Not even the bloody remains of his back, still burning from being whipped.

Instead, the very first thing Telperinquar felt was an overwhelming terror and desperate need to get out of the dark. He tried to move forward (anything _anything_ to get out of this cell, this overpowering darkness that swallowed everything expect the eyes of ~~Annatar~~ Mairon, the horrible glowing eyes that illuminated his face and the horrific curve of his mouth stained with blood, the eyes of Mairon ~~who he loved~~ who hurt him _and hurt him_ and he still wasn’t sure if his fists hurt more or the awful words like poison that spilled out his mouth that was true, they were all true, ~~he destroyed Eregion he killed _he killed-_~~ and he _couldn’t take it, out, out, outoutout)_ only to be abruptly reminded that he was suspended inches off the ground, just enough that it nearly seemed he could get his feet on the ground, but no matter how hard he tried that relief was barely out of reach.

All at once the pain returned to him. Tyelpe thought that this jolt into awareness was the worst torture Mairon could devise. He wondered if that was why he was allowed to sleep, so that the fear and pain could be erased for a few short hours and he would believe himself safe ( ~~safe in Tirion in his fathers embrace, where no harm could come to him~~ ) only to jolt to awareness and be returned to the crushing terror and all encompassing agony of his previous tortures.

Tyelpe could not stifle his sobs, no matter how much torturous suffering it inflicted on his ribs. He would give anything, _anything_ , to be out of the dark, to be out of _pain_. If Annatar wanted him to kneel or, or, or- what did Annatar want, he wanted, he wanted, he wanted- to teach Celebrimbor, he wanted to teach Celebrimbor to make, to make- _to make something beautiful, my Telperinquar, to make something as beautiful as you_. If only he’d noticed that all of Annatar words, soft and kind and ~~honest~~ , were never said to his face, always, always, always- directed where, he always, directed where-

(His hands, his hands, his hands, _not his hands his ring,_ his hands, his hands, his hands, ~~his hands that Annatar broke~~ , _not all of his jewelry but_ \- ~~when he refused to answer each one of his fingers were broken,~~ refused to answer _what_ -)

“No!” The word fell unbidden from Tyelpe’s mouth, the harsh whisper from days without water doing nothing to express his horror. He felt sick, how close he had come to revealing the location of the Three. The darkness seemed to spin around him, and the only thing grounding him was the pain.

He had _failed_ , failed to defend Eregion, failed to recognize _Mairon_ from the start, failed to listen to council from his friends, failed even to keep the secret of the other rings, and now he was failing in his own mind. ( _Give in, give in, give in, he already has the One, Arda is doomed, it won’t matter, give in, give in, give in_ ) He couldn’t fail in his final task, he _couldn’t_.

In the space of one blink and the next glowing yellow eyes looked back at him.

“No, _please_ -“ (He hadn’t meant to beg, _please Father he hadn’t meant to beg, please save him, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry)_

Once more his feet struggled to find purchase on the ground, and kicked only the air. Mairon smiled ( _he didn’t smile the way Annatar did, Annatar was so kind, he made Tyelpe laugh, and he smiled as he showed Tyelpe secrets he never could’ve imagined, hidden jokes shared in the late hours at the forge, how could anyone this caring be lying-_ ) sharp and vicious, as his hand closed around Tyelpe’s throat.

“My favorite _traitor_ ,” His nails dug into Tyelpe’s throat, “shall we discuss the rings again?”

No matter how much Tyelpe screamed the smile never left Mairon’s face.


End file.
